Taiping Lie 381. Ginger is spicy when it is old

The fact that the Northern Rong King sent an envoy to Da Chu could not be concealed from the Ding Palace. In the Mohist Army camp, Ye Li looked at the letter that had just been delivered to her and frowned, "The Northern Rong King sent an envoy at this time... Did he begin to distrust Yelu Ye?"

Mo Xiuyao smiled and said, "It's not that I don't trust him. But... Yeluye has been defeated in battles these days, and the territory occupied by the Northern Rong army is now less than half of what it was when the Northern Rong occupied the most territory in Da Chu. The Northern Rong King is naturally dissatisfied with him. But... the choice of this envoy is quite interesting. I'm afraid that Yeluye no longer trusts the Northern Rong King."

Ye Li looked at it carefully, and after a moment's hesitation, he said, "Is this... messenger from Yelu Hong's side?"

Mo Xiuyao nodded, looking very satisfied. "Yelü Hong finally lived up to my expectations. He has achieved this... and has been able to sit firmly on the throne of the Northern Rong Crown Prince for so many years. He is indeed no ordinary person."

"Yelu Hong wants Yelu Ye to suspect that the Northern Rong King doesn't trust him, and then let him have other ideas? Isn't he afraid that he will be self-defeating and Yelu Ye will come back to Northern Rong to cause trouble for him in the future?" Ye Li raised an eyebrow. Mo Xiuyao smiled and said, "Because he is very sure that Yelu Ye can't return to Northern Rong. Even if he is lucky enough to go back... he will definitely not have the strength to compete with him again."

Ye Li nodded, thought for a moment, and shook her head, saying, "It's not that easy for Yelu Hong to control Yelu Ye's military power. On the contrary... the envoy may lose his life." Although Ye Li didn't have much contact with Yelu Ye, he still knew his character. He might indeed suspect that the King of Beirong didn't trust him and become disloyal, or even do something he shouldn't do. But it's not that easy for Yelu Hong to get involved in military power. Unless Yelu Hong comes in person, the people he sends will probably die in Yelu Ye's hands in the end.

"Should we help them secretly?"

Ye Li asked.

Mo Xiuyao shook his head and said, "No, Yelu Yeai can do whatever he wants. If he can't kill Yelu Hong's people, we can help him." Ye Li pondered for a moment and understood what Mo Xiuyao meant. They cooperated with Yelu Hong temporarily, but they were not friends, so naturally they didn't have to think about helping him all the time. What's more, Yelu Hong wanted to control the military power and withdraw those Beirong soldiers back to the outside of the pass, while Mo Xiuyao wanted all these Beirong soldiers to die inside the pass. Obviously, the positions of the two sides were different. Since Yelu Hong wanted to rob, it was just right to let the two brothers kill each other, and they would benefit.

Ye Li nodded and smiled, "Your Highness is very calculating."

Mo Xiuyao smiled at Ye Li with a little pride and said, "My lady, you also think that your husband is very smart, right?" Ye Li smiled without saying anything, but she was secretly sweating in her heart. Mo Xiuyao's scheming is more than just smart? There are many smart people in this world, but they always lack something. For example, Xu Hongyu lacks a little ambition. For example, Master Qingchen lacks some viciousness, but Mo Xiuyao has everything. The most important thing is that he can wrap all these under a harmless coat, otherwise Mo Jingqi would not have tolerated him for so many years. Smart, decisive, forbearing, ambitious, vicious, Mo Xiuyao really has everything. That's why he can single-handedly transform Dingwang Mansion from a crumbling state to its current appearance. That's why he was able to start planning many years ago, so that the current situation in the world is under his control.

"Ah Li, is this king not smart?" Mo Xiuyao rubbed against Ye Li unwillingly, and Ye Li said helplessly: "Who in the world dares to say that King Ding is not smart?" I really think that people whose IQs can consistently surpass King Ding are either fools or really smart people. The former died long ago, and the latter definitely knows what to say and what not to say.

Mo Xiuyao nodded in satisfaction and kissed Ye Li on the face, "So, to be able to become my beloved wife, Ah Li is also the smartest woman." Ye Li rolled her eyes helplessly, slapped his handsome face away, and said, "Are you going to brag to me here, my lord? Aren't you afraid of being laughed at by others?"

"Whoever dares to laugh at my A'li, I will kill them." Mo Xiuyao said in a low voice.

Finally, she couldn't bear to take a picture of his handsome face hidden by his white hair, so she stretched out her hands to pinch his face and rubbed it vigorously. In the past few years, Prince Ding has become more and more shameless, and he is completely different from the gentle and slightly distant noble prince when she first met him. Ye Li suspected that there was something wrong with her eyes at that time.

"Ali, do you really like my face? You can't let it go, right? It doesn't matter, Ali, you can pinch it if you like." It was impossible for Ye Li to really hurt Mo Xiuyao, so Mo Xiuyao was happy to enjoy it. He simply lay on his back on Ye Li's legs and smiled with his eyes closed.

After hearing what he said, Ye Li couldn't hold it any longer. She could only withdraw her hand awkwardly, "Prince, I find that you are becoming more and more..."

"Your Majesty, I..." Feng Zhiyao hurried in, and the door froze. After taking a look at the two people inside, Feng Zhiyao felt that he had forgotten to check the almanac before going out. After a light cough, Feng Zhiyao said seriously: "You continue, I will take my leave."

Mo Xiuyao sat up, looked at Feng Zhiyao unhappily and asked, "What's the matter?"

Feng Zhiyao waved the things in his hand and said, "It's not a big deal. The new envoy from the Beirong camp seems to be dying."

"So soon?" Ye Li asked curiously. Although she had expected that the envoy would not live long, he died just two days after arriving. Isn't it too soon? Feng Zhiyao said, "Well... it is said that he was not used to the climate and water." It is not uncommon for people to be not used to the climate and water, but it is rare for them to be so serious that they can kill people. And usually, it happens, for example, from the extreme north to the extreme south, or from a dry and cold place to a humid and hot place. Although the north of Da Chu is a little different from the Northern Rong, it is definitely not obvious in this season. It is just not as cold as the winter in the Northern Rong. Who would believe that this waiter would die from not being used to the climate and water? However, it is not important whether you believe it or not, as long as there is a reason.

Mo Xiuyao thought for a moment and said, "Send a letter to Yelu Hong's people. As for whether they can make it in time to rescue the people, it has nothing to do with Ding Wangfu." Feng Zhiyao understood, nodded and smiled, "I'll do it in a while. No... I'll send someone to deliver the letter tomorrow." It would take at least two or three days for the letter to be delivered to Yelu Hong's people. By the time Yelu Hong's people arrived, it would be just enough time for them to collect the body of the envoy.

Seeing that nothing was happening around him, Feng Zhiyao rubbed his nose and said, "I'll take my leave."

Mo Xiuyao snorted and walked away from him. Feng Zhiyao shrugged and walked out. Standing at the door of the big tent, Feng Zhiyao looked up at the sky silently: Shouldn't the princess be the one who blushed and was embarrassed when he saw that? Why did the princess look normal, but the prince blushed?

Seeing Feng Zhiyao walk away with a weird look on his face, Ye Li turned her head to look at Mo Xiuyao's handsome face which was a little red from being pinched, and couldn't help laughing. Mo Xiuyao touched his face and understood what she was laughing at. He sighed helplessly: "A Li... since Feng Zhiyao saw it..."

"What do you want to do?" Ye Li stared at him warily.

Mo Xiuyao knocked Ye Li to the ground, kissed her happily and said, "Since everyone has seen it, if I don't do something, wouldn't it be just letting Feng San laugh for nothing?"

"Mo Xiuyao!" Ye Li pretended to be angry and glared at him fiercely with her watery eyes.

Mo Xiuyao was in a good mood, looking at Ye Li with a smile, "I want to have sex in broad daylight!"

Ye Li's face flushed and she glared at him. Is it something to be proud of to have sex in broad daylight? Looking at Mo Xiuyao's smug smile, Ye Li raised her head and bit his lips in frustration. Mo Xiuyao was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter. He lowered his head to admire his wife's rosy cheeks and angry eyes, "Ali, Ali...you are so beautiful..."

Before Ye Li could react, her bright red lips were kissed by someone's passionate lips, and the two of them instantly fell into a fiery entanglement...

The battle between the Mohist army and the Northern Rong continued, but many changes that took place inside were indeed unknown to outsiders. The envoy who had just arrived at the Northern Rong camp and attempted to get his hands on the Northern Rong army's military power eventually died a few days later due to acclimatization. By the time Yelu Hong's men arrived, they didn't even have time to collect the body, as Yelu Ye had already burned it to ashes without leaving any residue.

Yelu Hong's men were naturally furious, but after seeing Yelu Ye's methods, they dared not confront him head-on anymore. They directly sent a secret letter back to the court of King Beirong and filed a complaint with the King of Beirong.

The King of Beirong was naturally furious. Originally, Yelu Ye led his troops to attack Da Chu and occupied a large area of ​​Da Chu. His military achievements were outstanding and he could be said to be the best among all the princes and generals of Beirong. But he began to disobey orders. Later, in Licheng, Qing Yina, who was favored by the King of Beirong, died for no reason. After Yelu Hong came back, he naturally exaggerated, which made the King of Beirong even more worried about Yelu Ye. But even so, he did not think that Yelu Ye would have any ulterior motives, so when Yelu Ye asked for help, the King of Beirong promoted Helian Zhen, who he did not like very much, and sent troops to reinforce him. But he did not expect that this time he just sent someone to reprimand him a few words, and the messenger died for no reason. If he said that it was because of the climate and soil, the King of Beirong would not believe it at all. The reason why the King of Beirong sent him to Da Chu to convey his imperial edict was because he had been an envoy to Da Chu before.

After the Northern Rong King was furious, he immediately ordered Yelu Ye to return to Northern Rong immediately, and the war with the Mohist army and the military power were all handed over to the crown prince Yelu Hong to handle. Yelu Hong was naturally overjoyed to receive the order from the Northern Rong King, and without saying a word, he packed up his luggage and rode as fast as he could to Da Chu.

On the battlefield, the Northern Rong army and the Mohist army have been fighting each other for the past few days, but the Northern Rong army's front line is still slowly moving back. Now the world in the north is getting colder and colder, and the Northern Rong territory is already covered with ice and snow. It is extremely difficult to replenish food and soldiers. The Great Chu area they occupied has been devastated in the past few years, and there is no trace of human habitation. Therefore, compared with the Mohist army, which has a steady supply of food and money, the Northern Rong soldiers have had a miserable winter.

On this day, Mo Xiaobao rushed out of his tent excitedly and rushed into Mo Xiuyao's big tent like the wind, proudly waving a few pages of paper full of words in his hands, "Father! Mother! I figured it out!"

It was almost the end of the year, and Mo Xiuyao and Ye Li were discussing with the generals what to do next. Although they seemed to have a sure win, the battle with Lei Zhenting in the south was indeed extremely difficult. Although several veterans joined forces to barely stop Lei Zhenting's pace, if they dragged on, the situation on the southern front would immediately collapse after Mo Jingli's army arrived.

Seeing Mo Xiaobao rushing in, all the generals couldn't help but look at him curiously. Mo Xiuyao raised his eyebrows, took the plan written by Mo Xiaobao and looked at it, but didn't comment. Mo Xiaobao smiled proudly and said, "What do you think? Father, my idea is not bad, right?"

Mo Xiuyao casually handed the things to Ye Li, who smiled faintly at Mo Xiaobao after looking at them, and then handed them to Yun Ting, who had already stretched his neck to laugh. Mo Xiaobao felt relieved when he saw his mother smiling at him.

Below, several generals were looking at the things in Yun Ting's hand, nodding their heads in praise, "Use traps to trap the Northern Rong cavalry, and use caltrops... well, cut off the horses' legs... lure the Northern Rong army into the mountains, surround them... good idea, is this really the prince's idea?" It's not that these ideas are so amazing and brilliant, after all, a large part of them are what they have played with in recent days. Not to mention that some of them are common sense for dealing with cavalry. But Mo Xiaobao is different. He is only seven or eight years old, but he can think of so much, and even understands the characteristics of the Northern Rong army's forces and the terrain of the battle between the two sides. This is definitely not something that an ordinary child can do. Everyone couldn't help but admire him in their hearts, saying that he was indeed the young master of Prince Ding's Mansion and was very precocious.

Mo Xiaobao stared at Mo Xiuyao smugly, and glared at him and told him to admit defeat.

Mo Xiuyao glanced at him lazily, pointed at Sun Yaowu below and asked: "Yaowu, do you think the prince's plan can be implemented?" Sun Yaowu looked at the young prince with some embarrassment, who was looking forward to it, and said hesitantly: "This... the young prince's plan is very good. But... this terrain is a hundred or two hundred miles away from where we are now. Now we are flat here, and the young prince's... lure us into the mountains and gather them together, I'm afraid it will be a bit difficult."

Huh? Mo Xiaobao was stunned. Facing his father's smiling face, he jumped up and said unwillingly, "This is unfair! General Sun only asked if my plan could be realized before then."

Sun Yaowu thought about it and said sincerely: "Although there are still some minor flaws, the merits outweigh the flaws, so it should be OK."

"Father..." Mo Xiaobao turned his head proudly. Mo Xiuyao looked at him with a smile and said gently and lovingly, "Xiaobao, there is one thing that I don't know if anyone has taught you, but I still have to tell you. It is said that...speed is the essence of war. Now it has been more than a month since you were there. If I let you lead the troops to fight, are you going to tell Yelu Ye that this prince has not figured out a strategy to deal with the enemy yet, so let's fight in a month? Hmm?"

Mo Xiaobao's proud face suddenly fell, and he looked at Ye Li pitifully. Ye Li looked at him with a smile, and when he saw his mother's expression, Mo Xiaobao knew that it was hopeless to ask for help. On the other hand, Mo Xiaobao naturally understood that what Mo Xiuyao said was not wrong. He thought he was extremely smart, but if he really went to the battlefield to fight, would the enemy give him a month to think of a countermeasure? After hearing about the battle situation of the Mo family army in the past month, Mo Xiaobao's fair and tender face became a little gloomy. It turned out that he was not as smart as he thought.

In fact, Mo Xiaobao was really too demanding of himself. At his age, he was able to finish reading the military book given to him by Mo Xiuyao in more than a month, and he was able to combine the terrain and the combat power of the two armies at that time to come up with a plan that could be evaluated by a general like Sun Yaowu. However, neither Mo Xiuyao nor Ye Li comforted him. The prince of Dingwangfu was born to bear different responsibilities from ordinary children. It was okay to put some pressure on Mo Xiaobao at the right time.

Seeing him admit defeat, Mo Xiuyao looked at him with a smile and said, "So...is it time to fulfill your promise now?"

Mo Xiaobao's face suddenly darkened, and he turned his head stiffly to look at Ye Li. Ye Li smiled and said, "Xiaobao, I'll admit defeat. This time... just treat it as a lesson. Every failure is a lesson." Don't make bets with your father again in the future.

Mo Xiaobao glared at Mo Xiuyao fiercely and rushed out of the tent angrily. Seeing him like this, everyone was a little curious about what the young master had bet with the prince. They said goodbye to Mo Xiuyao and Ye Li and slipped out of the big tent to watch the young master fulfill the bet. Mo Xiuyao didn't make it difficult and waved his hand to let everyone go out.

Mo Xiaobao stood with his hands behind his back in the most crowded place in the center of the camp. The soldiers coming and going saw the young master's small stature, delicate face but serious expression, and couldn't help but stop to see what the young master was doing.

Mo Xiaobao gritted his teeth and glared at the soldiers around him. But he found that the number of people around him did not decrease because of his glare, but increased. He had no choice but to grit his teeth, close his eyes and shout loudly: "My name is Mo Xiaobao!"

The soldiers present were all stunned, and no one knew who burst out laughing. The people around also laughed. Names like Xiaobao are actually very common, but they are usually given to illiterate people in ordinary families, or nicknames by ordinary families. They are mostly called privately at home. Now, such a friendly and popular name is given to the very noble Prince of Dingwang Mansion, which makes people feel extremely funny. Looking at the young Prince Mo in a black brocade dress and a cute appearance like snow jade, I feel that this name is particularly appropriate.

Feeling that he was being laughed at, Mo Xiaobao blushed, stamped his feet, and rushed back into the tent. He rushed into Ye Li's arms, feeling extremely aggrieved, "Mother...

"Okay, everyone is not laughing at you." Ye Li smiled and soothed her son's head. Mo Xiuyao smiled particularly happily, not caring about his son's self-esteem at all. Mo Xiaobao gnashed his teeth and was filled with hatred. He silently blamed his grandfather in his heart, why didn't he give his father a nickname to call him.

"Mother, father is bad. He bullies Xiaobao." Mo Xiaobao said with tears in his eyes.

Ye Li lowered her head and kissed his forehead, smiling, "Who told you to bet with your father? Tell me, what were you thinking when you made the bet with your father?" Mo Xiaobao lowered his head and said nothing. When his father made the bet with him, he only thought about what would happen if he succeeded, but didn't think carefully about whether he could succeed. Although this was a trap set by his father, if he hadn't been too proud and arrogant, he might not have been fooled.

"Mother..."

Ye Li raised her eyebrows and said, "I know I was wrong."

"Hmm..." Mo Xiaobao nodded repeatedly, hiding in Ye Li's arms in shame and refusing to get up. Ye Li pulled him up and said with a smile: "Silly boy, what is there to be ashamed of in front of your father? Just remember the lesson this time. When your father was your age, he also thought about fighting with your grandfather and uncle all day long."

"Really?" Mo Xiaobao's eyes lit up and he looked at Mo Xiuyao with his eyes wide open. Mo Xiuyao snorted and glanced at Mo Xiaobao jokingly, saying, "But I'm not that stupid."

"This prince will win one day!" Mo Xiaobao snorted, his little face raised with pride.

Mo Xiuyao nodded nonchalantly and said, "I will wait."

"Hmph!" Mo Xiaobao tilted his head in anger, "I won't let you wait too long. Just wait, I will make you announce your nickname in front of everyone."

"casual."

As if he was very angry at Mo Xiuyao's attitude, Mo Xiaobao stomped his feet and rushed out of the tent like a gust of wind.

Seeing Mo Xiaobao walk away angrily, Ye Li sighed helplessly, and smiled at Mo Xiuyao and said, "Are you happy now?" Mo Xiuyao smiled and said, "Ah Li, I am doing this for Xiaobao's own good. Look at this kid, he is so young but his eyes are almost on top of his head. If we don't suppress him severely, he might not even know his own last name in two years."

Ye Li shrugged and said, "You are his father, I don't care how you teach him, but...if you are really trampled under the feet of Xiaobao in the future, don't expect me to accompany you to embarrass yourself."

Mo Xiuyao stretched out his hand and held her in his arms, smiling, "We are one body, if I really lose face, Ah Li will definitely lose face as well. However... Mo Xiaobao will have to practice for several more decades to trample me under his feet. And... for Ah Li's sake, I will not lose face."

Ye Li looked at him with a half-smile and said, "I only know a saying that goes 'Ten years in the east, ten years in the west', and another saying that goes 'The waves behind push the waves in front, and the waves in front die on the beach. Prince, be careful..." With Mo Xiaobao's cleverness and the family background of both the Xu family and the Prince Ding's Mansion, she felt that it might be just a matter of time before Mo Xiaobao surpasses Mo Xiuyao in the future.

“Haha, I’ve also heard a saying, ‘Old ginger is still spiciest.’ ” Mo Xiuyao said with a smile.

In Mo Xiaobao's tent, Mo Xiaobao was lying on the desk, writing hard. The guards who were waiting on him looked at the little master's face, which was sometimes distorted and sometimes smiling foolishly, and couldn't help but wonder, "Little Master, what are you going to do?"

Mo Xiaobao laughed strangely and flicked the letter in his hand, "I want my uncle to send me some books. From today on, I will study hard!" The guard turned his head and glanced outside the half-open tent, nodded: It's cold enough now.

A month later, Master Qingchen received a list of books from Mo Xiaobao: "The Art of Thick Black", "The Extraordinary Strategies of Ancient and Modern Sages", "Taizu Military Classics", "Mind Tactics", "XX Military Strategy", "Emperor's Mind Tactics"...